I'll Be Home For Christmas
by TowMondler
Summary: Short and sappy Christmas story about Monica and Chandler and if he can make it back in time for Christmas


This came about after hours of boring homework which was forced upon me a week before Christmas break. My dad was under the impression because its the week before Christmas they would go easy on us. Ha! That's just an excuse to pile it on! I'm sure this has been done before, and its probably really predictable, but I wanted to write something Christmassy. Anyway, enjoy! And Merry Christmas! 

Disclaimer: They don't belong to me, sigh, but I asked Santa for them! I'm keeping my fingers crossed. 

Monica Bing stared out into the snowy night wishing that her husband would come home. The phone rang and broke the silence and she ran to it and answered. 

"Hello?"

"Hi sweetheart," it was Chandler.

"Oh, I was so worried about you! Why didn't you call?"

"Sorry, babe," he said. "Is everything okay at home?"

"Fine," she said. "When are you coming home?"

"That's the thing Mon, I have to stay another week." He braced himself waiting for her reaction to this news.

"But Chandler! Christmas is a little over a week away!"

"I know, but honey, I promise that I will be home for Christmas. I wouldn't miss it for the world." 

"Chandler," she said.

"Yes?"

"I love you."

"I love you too," he told her. "Give Maggie and Beth a kiss for me."

"I will," she promised and hung up the phone wanting his arms around her. She walked up the stairs of their house and first into the bedroom of their oldest daughter Maggie. Maggie was six and Monica knelt by the bed and brushed some of Maggie's dark hair out of her face and fixed the covers that Maggie, being the fitful sleeper, had kicked off. She closed the door lightly and made her way to four-year-old Beth Ann's room. She remembered with a chuckle when they decided to name Beth Ann. Monica's grandmother on her father's side had been named Bethany and she decided to name her after her since Maggie was named for Chandler's grandmother. Once it was agreed and set in stone, Joey piped up asking what they would call her.

"I guess Beth," Monica said. "That's what everyone always called my grandmother."

"Beth Bing?" Joey repeated. Monica and Chandler looked at each other wondering why they hadn't thought of it like that. From that moment on they called her using her middle name as well. So she was Beth Ann, which seemed to fit her well, so it didn't matter all that much anyway. Beth Ann was a much more calm sleeper then her older sister so Monica didn't have to fix her covers, but she did pick up Beth's favorite bear Lou and placed him gently beside her daughter. She gave her a kiss and then closed her door as well. She made her way back to the living room and made herself a cup of hot chocolate wishing that Chandler hadn't gone on that business trip. Not so close to Christmas anyway. The house was decorated gorgeously and they were supposed to have everyone over for a party Christmas Eve. Everyone included their friends Phoebe and Joey, the forever singles, who would no doubt bring interesting dates, her brother Ross, and his son Ben, and Ben's two mothers, and her best friend Rachel, her husband Paul, her daughter Daisy who was three, and Rachel and Ross's son Adam who was a year older then Maggie. She smiled at the thought of that mixed up family. But they were her mixed up family and she loved them, now it seemed one of the biggest parts of her family would be in Chicago fixing a computer glitch. 

"Stupid computer," she muttered to no one in particular and took another sip of her hot chocolate and continued to stare out the window. 

__

I'll be home for Christmas, 

you can plan on me

please have snow and mistletoe

and presents on the tree. 

Monica and the girls sat by the tree wrapping presents together. It was the night before Chandler was supposed to be home. 

"Mommy?" Beth Ann said. 

"What baby?" Monica turned from the gift she was wrapping. It was for Adam. 

"When's Daddy going to be home?"

"Tomorrow honey," Monica told her.

"But Mommy," Maggie piped up. "Christmas is only three days sway."

"I know sweetie, but he promised he would be home for Christmas, and you trust Daddy right?" Maggie nodded uncertainly. 

"But what if it snows even more and Daddy can't get home?" Beth Ann asked.

"That won't happen," Monica told her. She looked over at Beth and smiled at the attempt to wrap the present. "Come here sweet girl." Monica lifted Beth Ann into her arms and set her down on her lap. Maggie slid over to her mother and sister and Monica put her arms around her too. "Daddy promised me that he would be home, and I believe him." She kissed each of the girl's heads and then the three of them resumed wrapping. The phone rang and Monica got up and answered it. 

"Hello?" She said.

"Hi baby," it was Chandler. 

"Its Daddy," she told her daughters.

"Daddy!!" Both Maggie and Beth Ann jumped up to talk to him. Monica handed over the phone to Maggie first.

"Hi Daddy!" 

"Hi Mags, how are you?" 

"I'm fine," she said.

"Are you being a good girl for Mommy?"

"Of course Daddy."

"That's my girl," he said.

"Daddy when are you coming home?"

"Soon princess," he assured her. 

"Beth Ann wants to talk, so bye Daddy," Maggie said handing the phone over to her awaiting sister.

"Bye sweetie," he told her.

"Hi Daddy!"

"Hi sweet girl," he smiled at the sound of his youngest daughter's voice.

"Are you going to be home for Christmas?"

"I'm going to try, honey," Chandler told her.

"Daddy? Does Santa still come even though not everyone is home?"

"Of course he does, sweetie! Do you think he would forget his two favorite girls in the entire world?"

"We're his favorites?"

"Sure," Chandler said. "Can you put your mother on?"

"Bye Daddy." He heard the shuffle of phones again and his wife's voice came on the other end.

"Are you coming home?" She asked.

"Mon? Please don't be mad, but I might have to stay." 

"I'm not mad," she said her voice quivering. She began to cry.

"Oh honey," he said. He hated hearing her crying. It broke his heart. He promised he'd be home, and now he was breaking that promise. 

"We'll just hold off until you get home," she said.

"I'll try honey," he told her.

"Don't make any more promises you can't keep. It's not your fault, but it'll be the first Christmas in forever that you aren't home holding me." 

"I know. I love you."

"I love you too," she returned the sentiments and hung up and cried. Maggie slipped into her lap and Beth Ann held her hand.

"Are you mad at Daddy, Mommy?" Maggie asked. Monica shook her head.

"I'm not mad, I'm just upset," Monica said wiping her tears away and hugging her daughters. "Come on. Who wants to make cookies with me?" The little girls raised their hands and Monica had to smile and they went into the kitchen. The did the usual Christmas traditions, but this year they just didn't put as much heart into it as usual. Not without Chandler there making jokes and making the only mess that Monica, as much as she wanted to yell, could tolerate throughout the year. The cookies were done and set on a plate in the living room for the party two days later. 

__

Christmas Eve will find me

where our love light gleams, 

I'll be home for Christmas

if only in my dreams

"I'm so sorry that Chandler couldn't get home," Rachel said Christmas Eve to a depressed Monica. 

"I miss him," she said. 

"I know sweetie," Rachel said hugging her friend. 

"Mommy!" Maggie came running in and hugged Monica's legs.

"What?" 

"Beth Ann, Daisy, Adam, and I have a show for you guys! Sit down on the couch," she ordered. (AN: This is what my cousins and brother and I used to do every Christmas Eve when we were little. We would put on a show. We have them all on tape, and they're really funny.) Monica smiled at her daughter and did what she was told. She sat next to Rachel and Paul on the couch and looked over longingly at Paul's arm wrapped around Rachel's shoulders. She suddenly felt very cold and very alone. She didn't have time to dwell on that because, wearing their winter jackets, gloves, a hat, scarves, and sunglasses came all four kids. They stood in front of everyone and Adam, being the oldest, cleared his throat.

"Excuse me," he said.

"For your viewing pleasure," Maggie said. There was a pause and Maggie elbowed Beth Ann who hit her back. "Your turn," Maggie hissed.

"Oh! We present to you a Christmas song," Beth Ann said. She tapped Daisy on the shoulder.

"Santa Claus is coming to town," Daisy's small voice said. Adam started and only he and Maggie knew the words since they learned it at school, and Beth Ann and Daisy only went to preschool. Monica listened to her daughters sing and clapped at when they were done and laughed as they took their bows causing the sunglasses to slip off their faces. They began to pass out presents to open and Monica had to excuse herself and slipped into the kitchen and silently cried when she heard,

"Ho ho ho!" She wiped the tears and went back into the living room. Ross was supposed to dress up as Santa, usually it was Chandler, but since he was in Chicago, Ross said that he would do it. The kids ran to him and he leaned down and started pulling presents out of the big bag that he was carrying. 

"How you holding up?" Ross's voice came up behind her and she spun around.

"If you're here, then whose there?" She pointed to Santa. Santa came up to her and leaned in and whispered in her ear,

"I promised that I'd be home, didn't I?" She squealed with delight and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck. "Merry Christmas sweetheart. Let me go change." She didn't want to leave him, and followed him upstairs and once the beard was off she began to kiss him.

"I was starting to worry!" She said. 

"It was hard getting here, at the last minute, Doug told me to come home, that he could handle things from there on in," Chandler told her. 

"I'm so glad! Remind me to get him something really good for his birthday," Monica said. Chandler nodded.

"Let me change so I can go properly greet my girls," he said slipping out of her hug. Monica waited patiently for Chandler to come out of the bathroom and the two of them went back to the living room to see Maggie and Beth Ann. Maggie turned and saw her father and ran to his arms.

"Daddy! You made it home!"

"I promised that I would didn't I? Did you think that I wouldn't keep that promise?" 

"Daddy!" Another little voice piped up and he put Maggie down so that he could pick up Beth Ann who was jumping into his arms. 

"Hi Bethy," he told her kissing her nose. 

"Daddy, we were so worried that you wouldn't be able to get home and Mommy was sad!"

"She was?"

"Uh-huh, she was crying."

"Well, you know how much I hate seeing Mommy cry, so I made sure that I was home tonight."

"I'm glad Daddy, Christmas just wouldn't have been the same without you," Beth said knowingly.

"I'm going to properly say hello to Mommy now okay?" She nodded and jumped back down out of his arms and then ran to where Daisy was sitting. Chandler held out his arms and Monica came over and fit herself into the open grasp. She felt so content in the warm embrace, that she didn't need any other present except that he was there. 

"Merry Christmas," he told her.

"Merry Christmas," she said smiling. 

The next morning, Monica laid in bed enjoying the feel of Chandler's arms around her holding her tightly against the winter cold. She heard the bedroom door open and two small footsteps and then their voices yell,

"Wake up! It's Christmas! And Santa came!" Monica smiled from underneath the covers and stirred Chandler.

"Honey, wake up," she said. He stirred and sat up.

"Did Santa come?" He asked his daughters who nodded excitedly. "Should we go see what he left for you?" Again they nodded. Monica threw her legs over the side shivering as she pulled on her robe and followed the little girls out of the room and down the stairs. Presents flowed from under the tree and onto the living room floor as they rounded the bend and made their way into the living room. Maggie and Beth broke into full speed as they bounded to the presents each grabbing the nearest one that had their name on it. Monica and Chandler settled on the floor next to them and laughed as they watched them tear open the paper and emit squeals of delight at the toys. Chandler handed Monica her present and she looked up at him with surprise.

"I'm glad that I could be here to give it to you," he told her kissing her temples. She smiled at him as she carefully pulled off the paper and revealed the charm bracelet underneath and the three charms already on it. She carefully fingered the charms: a spatula, an engraved heart with Maggie's birthstone that said Maggie, and one for Beth Ann. 

"I love it!" She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him passionately.

"I thought that you would," he told her grinning. She smiled again at him and slipped it on her wrist. 

"Mommy, its beautiful," Maggie told her grinning.

"Thanks baby," Monica said holding up her wrist. "Who wants breakfast?" Beth Ann jumped up.

"Me! Oh me! I want breakfast!" She ran towards the kitchen causing both her parents to grin and look at each other as they followed her. After their traditional Christmas breakfast, they spent the rest of the day by the fireplace watching old movies and drinking hot chocolate. Christmas Eve may have been devoted to a large family and friends gathering, but Christmas day was always just for them. And with Chandler home, they could truly appreciate it. 

"It just wouldn't have been Christmas without you," Monica whispered in his ear as Maggie and Beth Ann slept on their laps. 

"Its officially not Christmas anymore," Chandler said looking at the clock on the mantle above the fire. "One more Christmas in the books." 

"And I only want to spend the rest of my Christmases with you," Monica told him. 

****I know it was short and sappy, but like I said, great breather from what I've been doing in school this week. Anyway, still please review and tell me what you thought of it.*****


End file.
